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Acclaimed dance company @PHILADANCO kicks off landmark 50th season with GENESIS, featuring special appearances by alumnus (and @HamiltonMusical star!) Leslie Odom, Jr. on 10/5 & 10/6. More info @ kimmelcenter.org
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Lauren Woodard
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LWoodard@kimmelcenter.org
Jessica Christopher
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KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS RESIDENT COMPANY
PHILADANCO
CELEBRATES 50TH SEASON WITH GENESIS
AND A SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY ACCLAIMED ALUMNUS
LESLIE ODOM, JR.
OCTOBER 5 – 6, 2019
“[Joan Myers Brown has made] an artistic haven for African-American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create and share their unique visions with the national and global dance communities.”
– PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
"The company is in peak form—dancer for dancer, probably the best-trained, certainly the most versatile, dance company in Philadelphia."
—THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, September 9, 2019) – PHILADANCO, one of the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus’ Resident Companies, will celebrate their landmark 50th season with Genesis, a compilation of the most requested and exciting ballets from the company’s early years, on Saturday, October 5, 2019 and Sunday, October 6, 2019 at the Kimmel Center’s Merriam Theater. The production marks the first time all four PHILADANCO companies will perform on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus stage as part of the concerts.
The Philadelphia Dance Company’s October 5 presentation is followed by a star-studded, VIP reception honoring the legacy of PHILADANCO Founder & Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown, with proceeds from the event benefiting PHILADANCO. The reception will take place in the Academy of Music ballroom, home of PHILADANCO’s first Gala in 1972. Reception attendees include former PHILADANCO dancer and former Tony Award-winning star of Hamilton Leslie Odom, Jr., who will perform at both the Genesis performance on October 5 and at the reception. Odom, Jr., Broadway & television star Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Lee Daniels will serve as honorary co-chairs for the 50th anniversary year.
“PHILADANCO has long been a staple of the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus and the city’s arts scene as a whole; both Joan Myers Brown and her company are Philadelphia institutions,” said Ed Cambron, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “With Genesis, the company breathes new life into some of their most iconic early performances for a show that will awe and inspire with the language of movement. Longtime PHILADANCO supporters and new enthusiasts alike will not want to miss this milestone weekend, where we have the honor of kicking off this esteemed company’s 50th anniversary celebration.”
For the Genesis programs, former PHILADANCO dancers and guest artists will join the current company in a special evening of the ballets that established the preeminent company audiences know and love, chosen specifically by Joan Myers Brown to acknowledge the company’s longtime relationships with select choreographers. The Genesis programs on October 5 & 6 will feature a performance of “Enemy Behind the Gate” by choreographer Christopher Huggins; a tribute to Aretha Franklin entitled “Love and Pain”, choreographed by Milton Myers and featuring PHILADANCO alumni; and “Exotica” by Ron K. Brown. Returning PHILADANCO alumni include current & former members of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, University of the Arts staff, and more.
The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) presents the highest quality of professional dance performance and improves the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers. PHILADANCO is celebrated across the nation and around the world for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance. It is lauded for its ability to use the power of dance to address important topical issues in an accessible way.
As a Cultural Campus Resident Company, the Kimmel Center & PHILADANCO have presented internationally-renowned choreographers and world premieres to Philadelphia audiences since the Center’s opening in 2001, with over 20 co-commissioned ballets by the Kimmel Center. Notable choreographers from the past few years include: Hope Boykin, now a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Anthony Burrell, an established creative director, choreographer, and actor known for his work on Beyoncé’s music videos “Formation,” “Sorry,” and her Super Bowl 50 performance; several ballets by choreographer Geoffrey Holder, one recently performed by his wife, Kennedy Center Honors Award winner & Danco choreographer, Carmen de Lavallade; revivals and new works from Talley Beatty, Gene Hill Sagan, Dawn Marie Bazemore, Christopher L. Huggins, Rennie Harris Puremovement, and more. PHILADANCO has premiered over 50 ballets during their Resident Company history on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus.
Other featured upcoming performances at the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus include: A Night with Janis Joplin (September 24, 2019, Merriam Theater), Marc Maron (October 10, 2019, Merriam Theater), Marcus Roberts and the Modern Jazz Generation(October 11, 2019, Perelman Theater), Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (November 1, 2019, Verizon Hall), and PHILADANCO: Fast Forward (April 17 – 19, 2020, Perelman Theater).
PHILADANCO: Genesis
Kimmel Center Cultural Campus’ Merriam Theater
October 5, 2019, 8:00 p.m.
October 6, 2019, 2:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now starting at $34.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1 million guests per year and includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater- representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially-responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region’s young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is our proud sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2019-2020 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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